Acts 9

Meanwhile Saul was still full of threats and eager to kill the followers of the Lord. He went to the high priest,

1And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest,

Note"Breathing out threatenings and slaughter" is a Greek idiom: threat and murder were the air Saul breathed. The high priest presided over the temple in Jerusalem and headed the Sanhedrin, the Jewish ruling council, and his authority was recognized by Jewish communities well beyond Judea.

2and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus. The letters would let him arrest anyone he found who belonged to the Way, men or women, and bring them to Jerusalem as prisoners.

2And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.

NoteDamascus lay about 135 miles northeast of Jerusalem, roughly a week on foot, and outside Judea's borders. The letters were not warrants in the Roman sense but credentials asking the synagogue leaders there to hand over members of the movement. "This way" is one of the earliest names for the followers of Jesus, used again in Acts 19, 22 and 24; they were known simply as the Way before anyone called them Christians.

3As he traveled and was getting close to Damascus, a light from the sky suddenly flashed all around him.

3And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:

4He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you attacking me?"

4And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?

5He said, "Who are you, Lord?" The Lord said, "I am Jesus, the one you are attacking. It only hurts you to kick against the sharp stick."

5And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

Note"Pricks" in 1611 meant goads: pointed sticks used to drive oxen. An animal that kicked back at the goad only drove the point in deeper, and the saying was a common proverb in Greek for fighting something stronger than yourself. The earliest Greek manuscripts of Acts do not contain this sentence here, or the first clause of verse 6; the King James translators worked from later copies into which the wording had been carried over from Saul's retelling in Acts 26:14.

6Shaking and stunned, he said, "Lord, what do you want me to do?" The Lord said to him, "Get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do."

6And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.

7The men traveling with him stood there unable to speak. They heard the voice but saw no one.

7And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.

NoteThe Greek here says the men heard the voice but saw no one. In Acts 22:9 Saul says they saw the light but did not hear the voice speaking to him. The Greek word for "voice" also means simply "sound," and the two accounts use different grammatical constructions of the verb "hear," so the difference may be between hearing a noise and making out words. The tension is in the text and translators do not agree on how to resolve it.

8Saul got up from the ground, and when he opened his eyes he could not see anything. So they took him by the hand and led him into Damascus.

8And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man: but they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus.

9For three days he could not see, and he did not eat or drink anything.

9And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink.

NoteGoing without food and drink for three days is more than shock. Total abstinence was the sharpest form of Jewish fasting, undertaken in mourning or in urgent appeal to God.

10There was a follower of Jesus in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord spoke to him in a vision: "Ananias." He answered, "Here I am, Lord."

10And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord.

11The Lord said to him, "Get up and go to the street called Straight. Ask at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul. Right now he is praying,

11And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth,

NoteThe street called Straight was the colonnaded main road running east to west through Damascus, the sort of long straight avenue Roman city planning produced; its line can still be traced in the modern city. Tarsus was a substantial city in Cilicia, in what is now southern Turkey, known for its schools and holding rights of Roman citizenship.

12and in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come in and put his hand on him so that he can see again."

12And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight.

13Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard from many people about this man, and about all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem.

13Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem:

Note"Saints" translates a Greek word meaning "holy ones," that is, people set apart as God's. In the New Testament it is an ordinary term for all believers, not a title for the exceptionally virtuous; the later sense of a canonized saint is centuries away.

14And here he has authority from the leading priests to arrest everyone who calls on your name."

14And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name.

NoteTo "call on" a name meant to invoke it in prayer and worship, and so to be publicly identified as belonging to that person. It functioned as a label for the group, as verse 21 shows.

15But the Lord said to him, "Go. This man is the one I have chosen to carry my name to people who are not Jewish, and to kings, and to the people of Israel.

15But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:

Note"Vessel" here translates a Greek word meaning a container or a tool, so the sense is an instrument God has picked out for a job. "Gentiles" translates a word meaning "the nations": everyone who was not Jewish.

16I will show him how much he must suffer for my name."

16For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.

17So Ananias went and entered the house. He put his hands on Saul and said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here, has sent me. He sent me so that you can see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit."

17And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.

NotePlacing hands on someone was a standard gesture in Jewish practice for blessing, for commissioning a person to a task, and for healing. It marked what was happening as deliberate and personal, not incidental touch.

18At once something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized.

18And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.

NoteThe Greek word means flakes or scales, the kind on a fish. The text says "something like" scales; it is describing the sensation, not diagnosing an eye condition. "Forthwith" in 1611 meant immediately.

19After he ate some food, his strength came back. Saul stayed several days with the followers of Jesus in Damascus.

19And when he had received meat, he was strengthened. Then was Saul certain days with the disciples which were at Damascus.

Note"Meat" in 1611 meant food of any kind, not flesh specifically.

20Right away he began preaching about Jesus in the synagogues, saying that he is the Son of God.

20And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God.

NoteA synagogue was the local gathering place where Jews met to read and discuss the scriptures. Visiting Jews with learning were customarily invited to speak, which is how Saul got a hearing in city after city.

21Everyone who heard him was amazed. They said, "Isn't this the man who wrecked the lives of the people in Jerusalem who call on this name? And didn't he come here to arrest them and take them to the leading priests?"

21But all that heard him were amazed, and said; Is not this he that destroyed them which called on this name in Jerusalem, and came hither for that intent, that he might bring them bound unto the chief priests?

22But Saul grew stronger and stronger, and he left the Jewish people living in Damascus with no answer, proving that Jesus really is the Christ.

22But Saul increased the more in strength, and confounded the Jews which dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is very Christ.

Note"Confounded" here means left them with no answer, not left them confused. "Very" in 1611 meant true or real, so "very Christ" is "truly the Christ." Christ is the Greek word for "anointed one," the exact equivalent of the Hebrew Messiah; it is a title, not a surname.

23After many days had gone by, the Jews made a plan to kill him.

23And after that many days were fulfilled, the Jews took counsel to kill him:

Note"Many days" is an indefinite Greek expression. In his own letter to the Galatians, Paul says three years passed between his call and his return to Jerusalem, which is more time than Luke's compressed account here suggests on its own.

24But Saul found out about their plot. They were watching the city gates day and night so they could kill him.

24But their laying await was known of Saul. And they watched the gates day and night to kill him.

Note"Laying await" means their ambush or plot. A walled city could be entered only through its gates, which were shut at night and guarded, so watching the gates was an effective way to trap someone inside.

25So his followers took him at night and lowered him down the outside of the city wall in a basket.

25Then the disciples took him by night, and let him down by the wall in a basket.

NoteHouses were often built against or on top of a city wall, with windows opening over the outside; Paul's own account in 2 Corinthians 11:33 mentions a window. The basket was a large woven hamper of the kind used to carry goods.

26When Saul got to Jerusalem, he tried to join the followers of Jesus there, but they were all afraid of him. They did not believe he was really a follower.

26And when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to the disciples: but they were all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple.

27But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul had seen the Lord on the road, and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how Saul had preached boldly in Damascus in the name of Jesus.

27But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way, and that he had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus.

NoteBarnabas was introduced in Acts 4:36 as Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, nicknamed Barnabas by the apostles. Vouching for a man the community feared carried real risk to his own standing.

28So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem,

28And he was with them coming in and going out at Jerusalem.

Note"Coming in and going out" is a Hebrew idiom for the whole ordinary round of daily life, so the sense is that he moved freely among them as one of their own.

29speaking boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus. He argued with the Greek-speaking Jews, but they tried to kill him.

29And he spake boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus, and disputed against the Grecians: but they went about to slay him.

Note"Grecians" in 1611 did not mean Greeks. The Greek word means Hellenists: Jews whose everyday language was Greek rather than Aramaic, many of them raised outside Judea. Saul, from Tarsus, was one of them, which is why he could argue with them in their own synagogues.

30When the other believers found out, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.

30Which when the brethren knew, they brought him down to Caesarea, and sent him forth to Tarsus.

Note"Brethren" is the ordinary word for fellow believers, men and women alike. Caesarea was the port on the Mediterranean coast that served as the Roman administrative capital of Judea. Tarsus was Saul's home city, so they were putting him on a ship home, out of reach.

31Then the churches all through Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace. They were built up, and as they lived with deep respect for the Lord and with the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, their numbers grew.

31Then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied.

Note"Edified" comes from the Latin for building, and the Greek image is the same: the community was being built up like a structure. "Fear of the Lord" in biblical usage means reverence and awe rather than fright.

32As Peter traveled through all those areas, he also came down to the Lord's people living in Lydda.

32And it came to pass, as Peter passed throughout all quarters, he came down also to the saints which dwelt at Lydda.

Note"Quarters" in 1611 meant districts or regions generally, not city neighborhoods. Lydda was a town on the coastal plain about eleven miles inland from Joppa, called Lod in the Old Testament and still called that today.

33There he found a man named Aeneas, who was paralyzed and had been in bed for eight years.

33And there he found a certain man named Aeneas, which had kept his bed eight years, and was sick of the palsy.

Note"Palsy" in 1611 meant paralysis. Eight years bedridden meant he was dependent on others for everything.

34Peter said to him, "Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and make your bed." And he got up immediately.

34And Peter said unto him, Aeneas, Jesus Christ maketh thee whole: arise, and make thy bed. And he arose immediately.

Note"Maketh thee whole" means heals. The Greek imperative translated "make thy bed" literally means "spread for yourself"; most take it as rolling up or making up the mat he had lain on for eight years, though some translators read it as "set the table for yourself." Either way it is an order to do for himself something he had not done in eight years.

35Everyone living in Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.

35And all that dwelt at Lydda and Saron saw him, and turned to the Lord.

NoteSharon is not a town but the fertile coastal plain running north from Joppa, so the phrase covers Lydda and the whole farming region around it.

36In Joppa there was a follower of Jesus named Tabitha, which in Greek is Dorcas. She was always doing good things and giving to people in need.

36Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas: this woman was full of good works and almsdeeds which she did.

NoteJoppa was the main seaport on this stretch of coast, the modern Jaffa, part of Tel Aviv. Tabitha is Aramaic and Dorcas is Greek, and both words mean gazelle; a woman in a trading port could easily be known by both. "Almsdeeds" means gifts of money or goods to the poor, a duty Jewish teaching took seriously.

37In those days she got sick and died. They washed her body and laid her in an upstairs room.

37And it came to pass in those days, that she was sick, and died: whom when they had washed, they laid her in an upper chamber.

NoteIn that climate burial normally followed death the same day, and the body was washed as a matter of course. Laying her in an upstairs room rather than taking her out for burial means they were deliberately holding off, which fits their sending for Peter.

38Lydda was near Joppa, and the followers of Jesus had heard that Peter was there. So they sent two men to him, asking him to come to them right away.

38And forasmuch as Lydda was nigh to Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent unto him two men, desiring him that he would not delay to come to them.

NoteThe eleven miles between Lydda and Joppa was about half a day's walk each way, so the round trip could be done before the delay became impossible.

39Peter got up and went with them. When he arrived, they took him to the upstairs room. All the widows stood around him crying, showing him the shirts and other clothes that Dorcas had made while she was with them.

39Then Peter arose and went with them. When he was come, they brought him into the upper chamber: and all the widows stood by him weeping, and shewing the coats and garments which Dorcas made, while she was with them.

NoteA widow without husband or grown sons had no income of her own, and caring for widows was one of the first practical tasks the young church organized, as Acts 6 shows. "Coats and garments" translates two distinct words: the tunic worn next to the skin and the heavier outer cloak. The Greek can mean the widows were displaying clothes Dorcas had made, or holding out the ones they had on.

40Peter sent them all out of the room, knelt down, and prayed. Then he turned toward the body and said, "Tabitha, get up." She opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up.

40But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning him to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up.

41He gave her his hand and helped her stand. Then he called in the Lord's people and the widows and showed her to them alive.

41And he gave her his hand, and lifted her up, and when he had called the saints and widows, presented her alive.

Note"Presented her alive" means he handed her back to them, the formal gesture of returning a person to the people she belonged to.

42The news spread all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord.

42And it was known throughout all Joppa; and many believed in the Lord.

43Peter stayed on in Joppa for many days with a man named Simon, a tanner.

43And it came to pass, that he tarried many days in Joppa with one Simon a tanner.

NoteA tanner turned animal hides into leather, a process using urine, dung and lime. The stench meant tanneries were kept at the edge of town, and constant handling of dead animals left a tanner ritually unclean under Jewish law, so the trade carried low social standing. That Peter lodged in such a house is a detail Luke's first readers would have noticed.